Memories and Love
by elusivephantom
Summary: She remembers her loss.She stared blankly at him. “You could never know how I feel.” She said icily as she started to walk away.He didn’t move. “Yes, I would Granger. I almost lost the woman I love that day.
1. He loves?

It was Christmas; usually a joyous time of year; filled with carolers, hot cups of coco, snow angels, and laughter. Oh yes what a time of year! But this year was different, it was the one-year mark of the fall of the Dark Lord, a cause for even more joyfulness one might think, but it wasn't. For you see one year ago on this Christmas day the fall of a greater person was remembered. Ronald Weasley, her sweet Ron.

Hermione Granger walked down the cold path to his grave. She wouldn't come when the Weasley family came and they understood. It was just too hard on her, for they had been in love. Well as in love as one could be after only six months of dating. But oh what a wonderful six months it had been! They hadn't even let the coming battle get to their blossoming relationship. Hermione blocked out thoughts of his sweet blue eyes, and continued to walk on.

Unseeingly she walked on to her lover's final resting place. And a lonely little grave sight it was, in her opinion. Even with the other member's of the Order that had fallen graves around his, they didn't love him. So cold and unfeeling was this place. It was such a pitiful excuse by the Ministry for a "mourning place for the loved ones."

Before she realized it, she stood before his grave marker, thinking back to the very last moments she had seen him alive.

"_Come on Mione! Dance with me!" It had been so entirely romantic of him, that she couldn't refuse. They stood in the forest behind Hogwarts dancing as the snow fell around them. It had been their quick little get away, an escape from the frightening world around them. _

_He stood much taller than she, and kissed the top of her curls. "Mione," he quietly questioned. Lifting her head from his chest she looked him in the eyes. _

"_Yes, Ron?" _

_A few moments passed and then he finally stopped their dance. He took her hand and kneeled before her, not caring if his knees were getting soaked. She gasped, tears instantly forming in her eyes. _

"_Ron?"_

"_Hermione Jane Granger, I love you. I love you with my whole being; will you please be my wife?"_

_She fell down before him and started sobbing uncontrollably. He looked confused and nervous. She looked at him and started laughing, hard. Now he looked frightened, had she gone mental? _

"_YES! Yes! Yes! A thousand times, YES!" He grabbed her around the waist, and stood and spun her around. Both laughing happily; he stopped twirling her, and set her down. They both looked into each others' eyes, and then a kiss deserving the most romantic of all title passed between them. _

_That had been when they heard it: shouts and screams from the castle. They broke apart and looked at each other quickly. "Its time." He said simply, and she nodded her head. _

She looked up from the red roses in her hands, only to realize she was kneeling in front of his grave. Tears fell fast from her eyes. No one had even known, not even Harry. She hadn't told anyone, they wouldn't understand.

"_RON!" Her scream could be heard miles around. It was deathly silent and still. All had stopped as she ran towards him. "RON! NO!" She fell down beside his fallen body, clutching him to her breast. Tears fell, and his blood leaked onto her. She rocked him back and forth, whispering "Please Ron, come back. I need you, please don't leave me." _

_Hours after she had found his mangled body, they came for her. It was Harry who touched her first. "Mione, come on. He's gone." She hadn't moved when he called to her, and she pushed away every attempt to carry her away. This was HER Ron, and she wasn't leaving him. _

Hermione sat there looking at the words on the marker. She didn't read them just looked. No more tears would come to her, she was empty of everything. She placed the roses on the ground before his tomb, and started to hum.

She hummed a simple tune, but it was _their_ song. After it was over she whispered quietly, "Oh Ron, why did you have to leave me? We could have been so happy together, but now you're gone. I feel so lost with out you- I lo-"

"Granger?" Hermione turned around quickly, meeting the eyes of her childhood enemy: Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy? Wh-what are you doing out here?" She stuttered, wondering how much he had heard.

"I saw you kneeling here and I just-" He looked down at Ron's grave. "I know how you feel. I lost my parents in the battle; I just want you to know you are not alone in this."

She stared blankly at him. "You could never know how I feel." She said icily as she started to walk away.

He didn't move. The wind whipped his hair around and he said rather simply, "Yes, I would Granger. I almost lost the woman I love that day."

Finis…..

Well that was part one! I think I may continue on with this as a Mione/ Draco romance…..any objections? Tell me what you thought of this and if I should continue!

E.P.


	2. Hermione?

_He didn't move. The wind whipped his hair around and he said rather simply, "Yes, I would Granger. I almost lost the woman I love that day."_

He held his breath as she slowly turned her head around. Only the right side of her face was really visible, but he could see it. Tears that had fallen for_ him _stained her cheeks, and it hurt Draco deeply. She would never understand. How could she when he himself didn't?

"But she isn't gone now, is she?" she whispered. He closed his eyes at the irony of that statement. No, she was not dead, but she might as well be dead, only a shell of the woman he fell in love with remained, and it was a realization that was killing him.

"No." he said simply. When she started walking on again, he knew his chance was slipping by quickly. "Granger!" he called. She kept walking.

"Hermione!" That stopped her. Never in her history of knowing Malfoy, had he ever called her Hermione. Granger or mudblood were his preferred names for her. Hermione turned to face him fully now, a good twenty feet stood between them.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she snapped bitterly. Could she not mourn in peace?

"Don't you want to know?"

"Know what?" she looked rather confused and placed a delicate hand upon her hip.

He smiled, a genuine smile that made Hermione frown even more in confusion.

"Who she is? Is it not your nature to ask questions and want to know everything? One would think there was no exception in this case."

Her cheeks flushed at his mockery. Today of all days was not a day to cross Hermione Jane Granger. Within a blink of an eye, she stood before Malfoy, who was now on his back looking up at a furious woman with a wand pointed at him. Fear flashed through him but quickly washed away as he saw the tears falling from her eyes.

"Today Malfoy," she bit out, "is not the best day to mock me in any manner."

He just stared up at her, pondering his next move, his next words.

"Its you." He whispered almost brokenly.

Her wand suddenly lowered. "Wh-What?" She stuttered looking down at Draco with wide, unbelieving eyes.

"I mean just what I said. Hermione. I. Love. You."

Ok I know its short, but I decided that I would update more if it had shorter chapters. I couldn't make up my mind how I wanted this story to go, but it think I have an idea now. Thank you to all my reviewers!

Elusive Phantom


	3. His Promise

"_I mean just what I said. Hermione. I. Love. You."_

She looked down at the blond-headed boy before her. She saw in his eye the seriousness of what he had just said. "You l-love me?" she stuttered. Her wand fell to her side, completely for gotten as she waited for his answer.

He couldn't look at her. He knew she would reject him now; why couldn't he have kept his mouth shut? Draco closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

"Yes." He replied simply, almost dumbly.

Hermione took a step back and inhaled deeply. Thoughts raced through her head. Love? Malfoy? That was not possible. He hated her! She was a mudblood! Of all the questions popping in her head, one was flashing brightly and begging for an answer.

"Why?"

"Why what?" he whispered, trying to make his voice sound stronger than it really was.

"Why me? Why are you telling me this?" Hermione's voice was failing, she couldn't take this; not today.

"I- I honestly don't know." His voice was cracking under the heavy emotion that followed her rejection. "I just know that I love you and I needed to tell you. You are everything I have ever wanted. You're brilliant and quick witted. You are beautiful and you have had me under this spell for so long. I just-"

"ENOUGH!" She roared, tears cascading down her rosy cheeks. "That's enough." She whispered. She stood there a moment longer taking in his pale face, and blue eyes; blue eyes that reminded her so much of her Ron. Sucking in a deep, painful breath, she turned and walked away from him.

He sat there, watching her walk away from him. Draco's heart ached and silent tears slipped down his cheeks. He had known she would reject him, deep down he had known. But he never fully expected it to hurt this much.

As she faded from view he made a promise to himself. He would make her his. Make her love him. He had to, other wise he would die. He stood and brushed the dirt from his robes.

"I love you, Hermione. One day you will come to love me as well."

So tell me what you think? Don't bother telling me its too short unless you want them longer with longer updates in between. Thank you for the reviews and thank you for reading this!

Your Elusive Phantom


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